Garage punk’s rabbit-masked Nobunny hops into The Conservatory on Saturday night for a return gig that he had no intention of making.
Local Nobunny fan Clint McEwen noticed something wasn’t right when the Oakland, Calif.-based act’s winter tour dates were posted on Twitter recently: no Oklahoma City stop. This irked him, because he had seen Nobunny play an “incredible” show at The Conservatory, 8911 N. Western, last spring.
“I was immediately blown away by the way he pulled these influences from all over the map ... all filtered through this weird, Mel Blanc lens, but not in a gimmicky way,” McEwen said. “It’s rock ’n’ roll, so it should be a little sleazy. Don’t let the ears fool you: Nobunny is not a novelty act. This is what a rock show is supposed to look, sound and smell like. Here’s an artist that’s found his voice. It just happens to come from behind a mask that looks like 30-year-old roadkill. How can you not love something like that?” Because he does, McEwen and friends Rob Vera and Jake Smith contacted Nobunny’s booker and pooled their own money to get Nobunny back in town. With The Boom Bang and The Copperheads also on the bill, the all-ages show kicks off at 8 p.m. Saturday.
“We all have careers; this is truly a labor of love,” McEwen said. “We love Oklahoma City, and we love great music. Hopefully, this all goes well and we can do more shows in the future.”
Tickets are $10. For more information, visit conservatoryokc.com. —Rod Lott
